How Financial Times Exploded It’s Instagram Following In A Year

The Financial Times has found an unlikely outlet for its charts and graphics: Instagram.

A year ago, it had 40,000 followers to its Instagram account. Now, it’s at 286,000, and it’s adding thousands by the day, according to the publisher.

“It’s important to make sure we’re not just joining in with what other publications are doing, that we have our distinct voice and identity,” said Jake Grovum, social media journalist at the FT, pointing out that many publishers get their images from the same newswire service. “That’s why we post things that are not necessarily Instagram-friendly, like a chart on how U.S. and U.K. bonds have performed.

”Last week, for instance, it posted two charts and one graphic to the platform. One on Microsoft’s share price reaching an all-time high since since its IPO was the most liked Instagram image of that day with 1,400 likes. It also featured a graphic on how debates have historically affected the U.S. presidential campaign and a chart on the space journey of the Schiaparelli probe. These are a mix of charts taken from the paper, or made specifically for social media, which have a different color-scheme and a black background.